Budget is coming

Though it will still be several months until any decisions are made, budget season is upon us. City Council has slowly been working through the upcoming budget, which looks like it may be a doozy. And, the Austin Monitor would like you to remember that you can play along at home! Each year, the city’s Budget Office puts together a plan to help get residents involved in the process. This year, that strategy involves a revamp of the city’s budget simulator that allows anyone to play around with increasing and decreasing funding in 11 city departments funded by the General Fund to illustrate the real-time change to the budget, taxes and fees. There are also snapshots of the current state of different city budgets. For all that fun, and a bonus video, head over to the city’s website.